Housing Tax Break Approved

ISLE ON WIGHT — With little discussion, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance Thursday providing a tax break that entices owners of dilapidated houses to improve the properties.

The ordinance, approved unanimously, covers homes more than 30 years old. Under the program, the property would be assessed before work is done. After the renovation the property would be reassessed. The owner would be exempt from taxes on the difference in the assessed value for five years. The amount of the exemption would remain the same for five years even if the property were reassessed at a higher rate.

In other business:

O.A. Spady, the county's official tie-breaker, voted against a motion that would have denied approval of a 25-house subdivision on Route 620 between routes 258 and 655. The board then tabled the application for 30 days so county staff could work with the developers on conditions attached to the development.

Earlier this month the board voted 2-2 on the matter, with Supervisor Joel Bradshaw abstaining.

The board directed County Attorney H. Woodrow Crook to look into the legality of an ordinance requiring the county administrator and department heads to live in Isle of Wight.

Supervisor Steve Edwards proposed such an ordinance, but Crook said similar laws in other localities had been struck down as illegal. The board then directed Crook to research the matter.